Recently with the requirement of shortening a processing time, a color photographic light-sensitive material is required to give color images of a sufficient density within a shorter developing time. However, conventionally known techniques are not satisfactory and more improvements have been required. In particular, in a multilayer color photographic light-sesitive material, the development of the silver halide emulsion layer(s) disposed near the support is delayed and color images having a sufficient density are not obtained in short-time processing. That is, there is a problem that the development progress differs between the upper emulsion layer(s) and lower emulsion layer(s) and the color balance is unballanced.
As an attempt of obtaining a high color density by accelerating the development, couplers each releasing a color developing agent through a linkage group are known as described, e.g., in JP-A-61-156126 and JP-A-51-26038 (the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application"). However, even in the case of using these couplers, the color density obtained is not yet insufficient and a further improvement has been desired.
On the other hand, for the necessity of preventing the water pollution and the reduction of the processing cost, the technique of reducing the amount of waste liquids in photographic processing has been investigated. As one method thereof, there is a method of reducing the amount of the replenisher for a color developer and the practical use of the method has been investigated. The conventionally practiced replenishing amount of a color developer depends upon the kind of a color photographic material being processed and in the case of, for example, a color photographic negative film for photographing, the replenishing amount for a color developer is generally from 900 to 1200 ml per square meter of the color photographic film but recently with the requirement of low replenishing developing, the color development with a replenishing amount of about 600 ml has begun to be practiced.
However, when the processing time is shortened in the low replenishing processing, it becomes more difficult to obtain color images having a sufficient density.